Technology

Chip is $9 Microcomputer That Could Give Raspberry Pi a Run for its Money

At only $9, Chip is the most affordable computer out there, and if you ask its creators, it could do virtually anything.

Chip is the brainchild of The Next Thing Co., a startup that plans to sell the microcomputer on Kickstarter for just $9. It’s similar in concept to the Raspberry Pi, which is already cheap as it is at $35, as it offers a simple way for people to pick up programming. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is already baked into the microcomputer, and its first version will come with a 1 GHz processor paired with 512 MB RAM, and 4 GB storage.

As its creators claim that it can handle work applications, games, and “everything in between,” Chip can be connected to any display by means of a specially-designed connector. With the Pocket Chop peripheral ($49), Chip could even be converted into a handheld device.

So far, The Next Thing has earned $916,989 in funds from 18,110 backers, with 25 days remaining in the campaign. That’s almost 20 times more funds than the company’s goal of $50,000. However, backers will have to wait several months before the first units begin shipping. Initial shipments should begin in December, while others will follow between January and May 2016.